Nothing's ever so simple
by Blue-EyesGirl-fic
Summary: Atem wasn't sure how he'd gotten himself into this mess. Atem realised that he'd probably thought that far too much in his life time. Crossposted from AO3. Written for YGO Mini Exchange.


Atem wasn't sure how he'd gotten himself into this mess.

Atem realised that he'd probably thought that far too much in his life time.

And yet here he was.

Tending to the man that had kidnapped him not even two days ago. Atem crushed and prepared the herbs as best he could with the small amount of equipment Bakura had had in his travelling bags. Getting his captor's name out of him had taken a lot, mostly yelling and screaming - not that Bakura was in any fit state to be yelling or screaming. Hell, he knew Bakura had expected him to not come back when he went searching for the herbs.

And yet here he was.

Atem had certainly meant to run away, he'd gotten himself out of the ropes and everything – thanks in no small part to Bakura falling sick – and he could practically hear Seto telling him he was stupid for staying. He was just giving Bakura the chance to kidnap him again in the future. Healing his kidnapper wasn't going to change the fact that Bakura hated his guts for some reason.

But Atem had found himself unable to actually leave. There was something about what Bakura had been saying that made him wonder why. Why hadn't Bakura just killed him where he slept in the Palace? What had Bakura meant by the blood of his village hanging around Atem's neck? Undoubtedly, he meant the Puzzle but what did that have to do with Bakura's village?

Bakura groaned softly in his fitful sleep and Atem stoked the fire, attempting to sweat this illness out of the thief.

"Bakura!" Atem hissed in an attempt to wake him even a little. The other looked blearily up at him. "Here take this." The ingredients weren't perfect and Atem had had to make do with what he could remember of the recipe but none the less he managed to get it down Bakura's throat, managing to get Bakura sat up a little.

The other coughed and hissed like an angry snake but the medicine disappeared and Atem eased him back down again. Bakura glared at him weakly and Atem realised the other was more with it than he had been a moment before. "I'll kill you."

Despite how unconvincing it was in that moment, Atem didn't doubt the malice behind it at all. "Why?" Atem asked again. "What did you mean about your village?"

Bakura glared again and closed his eyes. Obviously he didn't want to talk. "Why are you helping me..." Bakura trailed off, the whole thing not really a question, more as though he were simply wondering out loud.

Atem sat down with a sigh. "Maybe I want to know why you want to kill me? I'm trying to make Egypt better, equal. Maybe you think that's naïve of me but I'm going to do what I can."

Bakura snorted and promptly descended into a coughing fit.

Atem waited for it to pass again. "So why don't you tell me why that's stupid whilst I possess my item? Why don't you tell me what happened to your village?"

Bakura turned his head away and Atem resigned himself once more to not getting anything out of him. He turned his attention back to the fire, making sure it stayed lit and silence fell between them.

"Those items you wear like some holy item, they're not holy at all!" Bakura spat, coughing a couple of times before he could speak again. "They're forbidden items made of dark magic."

Atem jumped, the silence had been so long between them that he had thought Bakura had probably fallen asleep. He turned his head towards Bakura. "My father created the items for peace, for justice." The words left his mouth easily, drilled in there by his education, by those around him.

Bakura only snorted again. "Peace? Yeah for you and your like. Justice? You don't even know what the items can be used for, your highness." He sneered, hoping for a rise out of Atem at the incorrect form of address but it didn't come. Despite all the insults and scoffing on Bakura's part, Atem looked as though he wanted to hear more. He wanted to listen. Bakura only narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

"What could they be used for?"

Bakura shook his head and snarled at him in frustration. No, Atem had to just be tricking him, a false sense of intrigue but the Pharaoh wasn't in any position to kill him over a perceived lie. "There's a tablet, place them in it and you'll be given shadow powers. That's what your father wanted, to rule the world with darkness – not bring peace."

Atem shook his head. "I know my father, far better than you, he just wanted peace. He wouldn't want them for that reason, what does it matter if they can do that? That's obviously what you want them for!"

He shook his head. He'd already made his deal with Zorc; he didn't need to summon him. But his deal did involve opening that door.

Silence fell again as Atem mulled over Bakura's words. It still didn't explain about Bakura's village and he was sure that that was also somehow his father's fault given the hatred Bakura had for him.

He would have to ask Mahaad about the items when he returned. If they did possess even some measure of evil, he was sure that Mahaad would have felt it. Why he hadn't come to him if that was the case… that saddened him more than he could say.

Atem didn't want to push Bakura further but if he was going to find out the truth of the matter he needed all the information he could get. "What's the name of your village?" Atem asked, looking over once more but, in the silence, Bakura had fallen asleep.

Atem carefully shuffled closer, pressing the back of his hand to Bakura's forehead. It definitely felt cooler than before and he definitely looked a lot better. It looked like he wasn't going to get a chance to actually find out about Bakura's village after all, he'd have to do that leg work himself.

If he didn't leave now who knew what Bakura was going to do with him when he was fit again. Atem crushed up more of the herbs as Bakura slept and prepared them, placing the bowl within arms reach for when he woke.

He assumed the other couldn't read and so he decided not to leave a note though he wasn't sure he had anything to write with or even what he could say. Bakura probably wouldn't even begin to trust his words.

Atem put the fire out and just hoped Bakura woke before Ra disappeared from today's sky. Nodding to himself, he commandeered Bakura's horse and set off home as quickly as possible. He needed to find out all he could about the items and this black magic before Bakura came for him again.

If all that Bakura had said was true… He silently promised the thief he would do something as soon as the mourning period for his Father was over.


End file.
